


Find Us In A Week

by myscribblingquill



Category: Harry Potter - J. K. Rowling
Genre: Alternate Universe - Modern Setting, Coffee Shops, Detective Tonks, F/M, First Meetings, Fluff, Teacher Remus
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2018-01-01
Updated: 2018-01-01
Packaged: 2019-02-26 11:06:40
Rating: General Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 1
Words: 3,090
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/13234374
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/myscribblingquill/pseuds/myscribblingquill
Summary: Tonks' new case is different to those she's had before. First off, there's no crime to solve, all she has to do it collect information on the mark and pass it along to her client. But the problem is there's nothing to pass along, he's so boring and yet, somehow, Tonks can't stop following him.





	Find Us In A Week

**Author's Note:**

> For the prompt: _I'm a private detective hired to follow you, but you're endearingly boring and mostly I just like watching you and oops, I sort of find you adorable._

It’s the most boring job she’s ever had.

Well, it isn’t really. The job isn’t boring, Tonks loves being a detective, but the person she’s been asked to investigate? He’s the boring part.

She’s has no idea what she’s even supposed to be looking for, unless her client wants to know this man’s coffee habits, or if he’s really is _that_ dedicated to his students - he is and it’s nice to see a teacher that actually likes their students. But other than the few pieces of litter he dropped in the street - and then returned to pick up - Tonks can’t find anything nefarious about him.

Remus Lupin, professor at the local university and patron to almost every library in a five block radius, is decidedly the most uninteresting person Tonks has ever had to follow. And yet she’s still following him.

It’s been over a week since she was given his name, along with a sneer and a request to find out what ever dirt she can. Tonks tends to pride herself on taking actual cases. Murders, kidnapping, thefts, not stalking people, but she’s strapped for cash and this job is a quick money maker.

It doesn’t matter that it’s been a week and she’s still following this guy.

Remus is strangely endearing. He has the most absurd friends Tonks has ever seen, and cats seem to hate him, but Tonks likes him. She’s given up trying to find some dirt on him. Her report has been written for days, a profile of him and a short outline of his mundane habits. It’s the easiest job she’s ever had.

But she still hasn’t called her client to hand over her report. 

She wants an excuse to end up at the same coffee shop as him every morning, to see if he’s smiling after his classes or not. 

He’s oddly comforting. His life, the regularity of it, and the few irregular moments she’s seen, have convinced Tonks they could be friends. That they could be friends if she wasn’t following him, she reminds herself. Besides she actually likes his favourite coffee shop, they sell these great muffins that taste just like her Mum’s.

When her client calls though, Tonks hands over her report and tries to direct her brain into thinking about something other than Remus Lupin. She has other cases. There’s a fraud to be investigated and a missing teenager, so what if she goes out of her way every morning? She likes that coffee shop. It’s got nothing to do with who else goes there.

She doesn’t realise that she’s become just as much a regular as Remus until the barista remembers her name, and her order. The notion that she’s latched onto a mark is jarring. She’s a professional, she’s not supposed to get attached to people she was investigating.

Tonks avoids the coffee shop for a long as she can.

But less than a week later she’s back.

As Remus walks in the door she tenses, it’s been five days and he looks tired. From her investigation she knows that he spends more time at the doctor’s than the usual person. Medical files for this type of investigation are sealed. And she doesn’t want to know why he goes there, she wants to know if he’s alright. If whatever he’s being treated for is, well, being treated.

He looks like he could do with some comfort and Tonks has to suppress the urge to run a hand through his hair and ask what’s wrong. She’s doesn’t even know him, and he doesn’t know her.

His eyes dart around the room, alighting on Tonks, and she starts to turn her head away. Then she remembers that she’s not following him anymore, she has no reason to hide her face from him. So she smiles, shy and blushing a little, and he smiles back with brief nod. 

Her cheeks are hot and it’s not from the hot chocolate. 

Remus hasn’t turned away when her phone buzzes, her mother’s name on the screen.

Trust her Mum to ruin a moment.

“Dora, how are you?” Andromeda asks, “Your father wanted me to ask you when you’re coming home. He has a few ideas he wants to run past you and I’m expecting you to say no to all of them.”

“Okay, why am I saying no?” Tonks shakes her head affectionately. She loves her parents but she knows her mum is perfectly capable of stopping her dad’s plans.

“He wants us to go on a cruise. Which is absurd because we spend most of the time getting to a place and then only get a few hours looking around before we have to get back on the boat,” Tonks makes noises of sympathy to her mum, who’s meticulously laying out the details of their travel plans.

Tonks is only half paying attention to her mum, her eyes following Remus as he chats with the barrita and orders what she assumes is his usual coffee. She tries to drag her eyes away, but they keep going back to him. There are dark shadows under his eyes, worse than she’s ever seen them before, but he smiles and chats with the barista like nothing’s wrong.

“Dora?” Andromeda's voice breaks through Tonks’ daze.

“Yeah, sorry. I’ll talk to Dad,”

“Good, now I need to book some plane tickets,” The sound of keys clacking reverberates down the phone.

“Alright, love you Mum. Say hi to Dad for me,”

“Love you too, Dora,”

By the time Tonks hangs up the phone, and looks around the shop Remus is gone. He’s probably on his way to a class or home. She pushes the thoughts out of her head. There’s no reason to think about where Remus is going. She doesn’t have any reason to follow him, he’s not a person of interest anymore. 

She should go home, she reasons with herself. There are other cases waiting in a pile on her desk and they’re ones that she’ll be paid for. Moping in a coffee shop is completely unproductive, and her hot chocolate has gone cold.

On her way out the door, mind distracted by other matters, Tonks lets her feet take charge. She assumes they’re taking her home, but when she looks up she finds that she’s traced the same route that she’d take to follow Remus.

A left from the coffee shop, down the street, right and then another right then keep walking until you reach the library. Tonks is there before she can stop her feet. The library is one of his favourites, she assumes. He spends most of his time there. Or it’s the one with the best wifi signal, Tonks hasn’t decided what she’d value more, the warmth or the wifi.

Tonks grimaces at herself, and pulls her hat so it sits low on her brow.

She has to stop this.

Thinking about Remus Lupin is pointless. She can’t introduce herself, can’t be his friend or even an acquaintance, but she can’t stop thinking about him either. She sees a knitted jumper and his name springs to mind. 

She mentally shakes herself and turns away from the library. It’s dark outside now. The street lights are on, and there’s a freezing breeze chafing her cheeks. Tonks is about to walk away from Remus, determined to forget about him, when the trouble of drinking three hot chocolates’ presents itself. 

She needs the toilet.

Of all the luck in the world, Tonks has always felt like she’s had some of the worst of it. With a name like Nymphadora is pretty easy to feel that way though. 

Tonks scrunches her face up and runs across the road. She’s determined to get in and out as fast as possible. Avoid Remus, find the toilets and get home to her warm apartment.

It goes well until she comes barrelling out of the toilets. She’s so happy to have not seen Remus that she heads straight for the exit. That’s when a pile of books go flying over the floor, and she ends up cling onto someone’s arm.

“Oh crap, I’m so sorry,” Tonks says, and bends down to grab the closest book.

“Don’t worry, I wasn’t paying attention to where I was going,” 

When Tonks hands back A Collection of Gothic Stories she looks into the eyes of Remus Lupin, and drops the book back on the floor.

He bends down to pick it up and Tonks moves as far away from him as she can get. As she collects the other books, she gulps. She’s going to have to talk to him. There’s no avoiding it now. Tonks hopes he doesn’t recognise her.

“Haven’t I seen you somewhere?” He asks, from the counter where the librarian is scanning his books out.

Tonks puts the rest of the books down, “Yeah, the, umm, the coffee shop around the corner.”

“I thought that was it,” He smiles, and Tonks is very pleased with herself when she doesn’t end up on the floor. He has such a nice smile. It’s genuine and bright,and paired with his sparkling eyes, she would happily spend hours watching him smile.

“I’m sure I’ve seen you more than just at the coffee shop though,”

This is it. He’s going to figure out that she’s been stalking him for the last three weeks. Tonks can forsee the conversation about her job to stop the phone call to the police, and then she’ll have to avoid the coffee shop. She’s already mourning the loss of Remus’ presence in her life. Tonks has only know about him for three weeks, but her heart sinks at the thought of never seeing his knitted jumpers and tatty old satchel.

“Did I see you up at the university a few weeks ago?”

“Possibly, I’m,” She waved a hand, “Around a lot,”

“Me too. It happens when you live somewhere. You tend to spend a lot of time there,”

Tonks can’t help the laugh that falls out. Her investigation was focused on his activities. It was easier to keep a bit of distance when she didn’t know he was funny as well as boring. Tonks can feel her heart leaping as he smiles again. She’s doomed.

“So are you here to get a book out?” He says and thanks the librarian who hands back over his library card. Tonks can see that he’s got a whole stack of them in his wallet.

“I needed the toilet and my flat is the other side of town.”

“Oh,” 

Tonks shuffles her feet. She should be leaving, the door is right in front of her. But her feet won’t move. She can’t think of anything to say to Remus though so she stands there awkwardly.

“Well, it was nice to meet you. You should check out a book, if you have time,” Remus’ cheeks are a little red as he pushes to door open with his back, hands full of books, and disappears out the door.

Tonks lets out a groan when he’s gone. The librarian’s soft chuckle reminds her that there are other people around and she’s glad no one else is there to see.

After that she doesn’t feel awkward about going to the coffee shop. She does try to plan her visits so that they don’t coincide with Remus’ but she’s decided that if they somehow become friends then she’s not going to stop it.

Tonks is sat with her hot chocolate and a pile of files that she’s got to read though, when Remus sits down with her.

“There are no other seats,” He shrugs his shoulders.

“Oh yeah, no that’s fine,” Tonks cuts of her rambling and moves some of her files so he has some space.

“What are you working on?” Remus says.

Tonks tries to keep her answer a vague as possible, “Some reading for work,”

“Wait,” And just when Tonks thought he couldn’t get any cuter, Remus squints at her and his nose crinkles, “You’re not a teacher are you?”

“No,” She laughs, “I’m a detective.”

He relaxes back into his chair, “Good, unless you really love kids, I would not recommend switching professions.”

“I don’t plan too.”

“If you’re a detective,” He pauses. Tonks can see him putting the pieces together, “You were outside my school one morning weren’t you?”

“Yes,” Tonks says looking as apologetic as she can manage.

“Have you been investigating me?”

Tonks scrunches her nose and nods, “ I, well, I got hired to get whatever dirt I could on you,”

Remus doesn’t look too surprised. Considering that this is the first time Tonks has ever had this conversation she’s not sure how he’s supposed to be reacting. But if she had to guess she wouldn’t have said surprised. He looks a little angry but not surprised.

“You were following me for what, three weeks?”

“It was actually about a week and a half. I couldn’t find anything so I handed my report over to my client. But I got a little attached to this place,” She doesn’t add that she got attached to him.

Remus doesn’t say anything for a moment. Tonks is almost convinced that he’s going to walk out and never talk to her again.

“Did you just call me boring?”

It’s Tonks’ turn to be surprised and she lets out a splutter of laughter in response.

“Yeah, I guess I did,”

“I can’t believe you followed me for almost two weeks and you think I’m boring,” He exclaims.

“Not you,” Tonks protests, “Just some parts of your life,”

“My life is boring?”

Tonks’ really doesn’t know how she’s managed it but both times she’s spoken to him she’s made a fool of herself. She’s considering never opening her mouth again, but then:

“A little bit, but it’s a nice kind of boring. The kind most people want. Actually I think it’s adorable, you love the places that you spend your time at. It’s -” The sentence drops off and she mumbles the last word, “Cute,”

A small grin spreads over Remus’s face. The tips of his ears pink up and he licks his lips. Tonks hopes that her blush isn’t too obvious but she can feel the heat spreading up her neck.

“So um, who was the guy who hired you?” Remus says, his eyes skittish.

Tonks feels the momentary urge to reach out a hand to him. She hadn’t properly registered it but when she’d mentioned being a detective, he’d tensed up. Tonks thinks that perhaps she missed something, perhaps he is involved in something a little less boring.

“I can’t say,” Tonks apologises. It’s in her contract. No talking about what she found or who hired her.

“Did he look like he’d never heard of a shower?”

She laughs as his words conjure up the image of her client. Remus seems to know who wanted him investigated, but Tonks can’t say anything. Remus takes her laugh as confirmation. His face falls a little.

“The guy was creep and he wasn’t happy when I didn’t find anything,”

“Bloody git, doesn’t know when to keep his nose out,” Remus spits.

“Hey now who’s insulting the other. My job is poke my nose in places,” Tonks pauses, and the look on Remus’ face fades a little. He’s a little less jittery now, but the anger is still simmering underneath. For a moment Tonks wonders who exactly the client is and how he’s managed to anger Remus - he’s always seemed so calm, but then she doesn’t really know him.

“Exactly it’s your job,” Remus’ says exasperated. He sighs and rolls his eyes, before slouching down into his chair, “I’m sorry. The person who hired you … he’s been trying to get under my skin for years and -”

“He doesn’t have anything,” Tonks interjects before Remus can give her any more details. She already feels incredibly intrusive for having followed him for two weeks, she doesn’t want him to start handing out parts of his life that she shouldn’t know about. 

Remus scoffs, “I know, but he doesn’t know when to quit,” 

“You should hire a detective,” Tonks smirks, “To find out why he wants all the dirty details on your life,”

“It’s not just me,” 

“Oh,” Tonks mind whirls. Is there someone else that he’s protecting? She hadn’t seen any indication that he was seeing anyone but then she might have missed something, she was a little distracted. 

“Myself and my friends, we -” Remus pauses, “We don’t get along with him,”

“I gathered,” 

“But if I need a detective, I’ll know where to look,” Remus smiles and Tonks smiles down into her coffee unable to look at him without blushing again and she’s done that too many times today.

“I should get going,” 

He drains his mug. His head tips back revealing the stretch of skin above the top of his hoodie. There’s a scar running down his neck and Tonks wonders where its from, she also wonders what it would feel like under her fingers. Remus puts his mug down. It chinkcs against the table and Tonks blinks herself back to the present.

“I still have case files to get through,” She waves one of the folders with a grimace.

Remus gives a sympathetic smile, and fiddles with the napkin on the table. 

“I’ll see you soon,” He stands up, pushes the chair in a hovers. His hands fiddle with the back of the chair.

“Definitely,” Tonks grins.

Remus lips twitch into a smile which disappears far too fast. He leans forward and taps his fingers against the napkin on the table. He pushes it towards her, taps it once more and then leaves with a wave and the faintest hint of a blush.

It takes Tonks a moment to notice why he’s drawn her attention to the napkin. But there, on the corner, in swirling hand-writing, is Remus’ name and a phone number. Tonks runs her fingers over the numbers, unable to contain her smile. He left his phone number. She tucks the napkin into her notebook for safe keeping and returns to her case files. They’re interesting cases, filled with mystery, but Tonks has found a new appreciation for boring cases now. Sometimes they’re just as interesting.

(Tonks doesn’t text him that evening. Instead she makes sure she’s at the coffee shop the next day. When he walks in, she asks him out on a date because the thirty messages she typed out on her phone don’t make any sense, and she gets to see Remus smile again.)

**Author's Note:**

> Thanks for reading! Find me on tumblr [@willsdarcy](https://willsdarcy.tumblr.com)


End file.
